


there are things you don't know

by bloodyhalefire



Series: something about the bad boys [2]
Category: Shameless (US)
Genre: Closure, Discussion of 3x06, Fix-It, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, I promise, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Insecure Mickey, It needed to happen okay, M/M, Meet the Family, Protective Carl, Protective Ian, Protective Svetlana, Worried Mickey, happier things on the way, lip is a dick, why do i hurt the ones i love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-13
Updated: 2016-03-13
Packaged: 2018-05-26 13:05:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,048
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6240442
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bloodyhalefire/pseuds/bloodyhalefire
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <em>Fiona opened her mouth to say something before Lip beat her to it. “Luke,” he drawled, crossing his arms. “You’re fuckin’ my little brother?”</em>
</p><p> </p><p>  <em>It was obviously a trick question, a trap that Lip was trying to bait him into, but Luke looked unfazed. He shrugged. “Well, I prefer callin’ it dating,” he said, wrapping his arm around Carl’s shoulders. “But sure, that works, too.”</em></p><p>--</p><p>Or, the one where a really needed discussion about 3x06 happens.</p>
            </blockquote>





	there are things you don't know

**Author's Note:**

> Again, Carl/Debbie are like 16/17.
> 
> Nothing graphic, but warnings are still at the bottom!

Mickey and Luke barged through the door 20 minutes after they said they would, Luke bearing a black eye and Mickey with what looked like a stab wound on his side. Everyone stopped at the sudden movement; Mickey and Luke standing frozen halfway into the house, Luke's hand still on the doorknob.  

 

“Mick,” Ian choked out after a minute as he ran to his boyfriend, the first of the group to snap out of it. Ian looked terrified. It made Carl’s throat close up.

 

Ian ran his hands across Mickey's chest and stomach, eyes flying wildly as he looked for other wounds. It seemed almost routine, like they’d been in the same situation before; Carl didn’t know how to feel about that, only that he hopes he never has to be in it. 

 

“I'm fine, Gallagher,” Mickey remarked snidely, only to bite his lip when Ian stared pointedly at the growing blood stain on his shirt. 

 

Ian simply continued checking Mickey's body, and after a minute of jerky, panicked movements Ian seemed to see nothing  _ too _ dire because he dragged Mickey upstairs and mumbled something about getting him a change of clothes. 

 

Once they left, everyone simultaneously turned to look at Luke. He winced. 

 

“Hey, sorry about that,” he said slowly, his voice raspy and deep. It sent shivers down Carl's spine. “Got into a bit of an, uh, situation. I’m Luke.”

 

When nobody made a move to acknowledge him, jaws still wide open and eyes bugged out, he winced again before walking over to Carl. 

 

He stopped right in front of him and cupped Carl's cheek, gently running his thumb across his cheekbone; Carl unabashedly leaned into the touch. Luke smirked before wrapping his arm around Carl's shoulders and kissed his temple. “Sorry it took so long, sweetheart,” he murmured into Carl’s ear, giving him chills.

 

“It's okay,” he responded breathlessly, heart threatening to burst from his chest. 

 

If it wasn’t already fucking  _ glaringly  _ obvious, Carl was a fuckin’ sap when it came to Luke. In the beginning he was ashamed of it, always pushing Luke off whenever he said something sweet or touched him when they weren't fucking. But after a while Carl learned to love it, learned to  _ crave  _ it. And Luke obviously knew that Carl didn't wanna show too much weakness in front of his family—which was why he didn't go past a kiss—and for that Carl loved him a little more. 

 

“Damn, he’s  _ hot _ ,” he heard Veronica whisper to Fiona. Carl glared at them and sent his thanks to whoever was listening that Luke didn’t seem to hear it.

 

“You think everyone is hot,” Fiona responded with a smile. They proceeded to laugh until they couldn't breathe, only to laugh even harder when they noticed Carl glaring.  _ Fuckers _ .

 

Carl closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “How about we go sit in the front room?”

 

Debbie shrugged and walked in, sitting on the floor to color with Liam. Once Veronica stopped laughing, she and Kevin went and squeezed onto the chair. Luke pulled Carl to the couch, sitting them down on the right side. He stuck Carl in between him and the arm. Fiona plopped down next to them. Lip remained standing.

 

Fiona opened her mouth to say something before Lip beat her to it. “Luke,” he drawled, crossing his arms. “You’re fuckin’ my little brother?”

 

It was obviously a trick question, a trap that Lip was trying to bait him into, but Luke looked unfazed. He shrugged. “Well,  _ I  _ prefer callin’ it dating,” he said, wrapping his arm around Carl’s shoulders. “But sure, that works, too.”

 

Distantly Carl heard Kev choke on his beer, but he was too busy staring at Luke to acknowledge it. He’s pretty sure he had damn hearts in his eyes, but he couldn’t care less because Luke fucking said it. He’d said they were dating.

 

Sure Carl’d known they were dating, he’d told his family as much, but they’d never talked about it to each other. It’d been one of those unspoken agreements, something they’d both known was there but didn’t talk about. 

 

And for a minute Carl had thought -- albeit stupidly -- that the night was going to be mostly alright. He was proven wrong the very next second.

 

”Why is it that Luke is so open about his relationship with Carl when it took Mickey forever to even  _ look  _ at Ian?” Lip asked with a sneer.

 

“ _ Lip _ ,” Fiona warned, her eyes hard. In a twisted way, it made Carl happy that Fiona was going against Lip on this one. Mickey was awesome, and Carl considered him a friend. He was fuckin’  _ tired _ of Lip bagging on him.

 

Lip threw his hands up in a surrendering kind of gesture. It was accompanied by a smirk that Carl was sure everybody in the room wanted to punch off.

 

“Probably because my family isn’t run by a tyrannical, homophobic douchebag,” Luke responded angrily, ready to defend his friend. Carl turned his head into Luke's shoulder to hide his smile. He always never could stop smiling whenever Luke got protective like that.

 

Kevin squinted before adding, “Lip, man, you  _ really  _ don’t know shit about Terry Milkovich.”

 

“And  _ you  _ do?”

 

“He’s been going to the Alibi for years, man. He almost beat Mickey to death in the damn place a couple years back. Your  _ brother  _ was there, remember? Or did you not know about that?” Kev raised an eyebrow expectantly. 

 

Carl felt Luke’s grip on him tighten a little at the mention of the bar fight. No matter how many times Carl told him that there was nothing he could've done, Luke still blames himself for not being there to help Mickey and Ian. 

 

Luke and Mickey’s friendship is kinda an unknown thing, because by now it was a pretty popular assumption that Mickey didn't have friends, and he did nothing to try and stop it. But him and Luke are, in Carl’s opinion, best friends. When Ian fucked off to the army and left him alone, Luke let Mickey shack up with him whenever he needed to take a break from Svetlana. Before Luke's dad got killed, he beat Luke half to death. He got arrested almost directly after; Mickey left a tip to the cops that he owned illegal weaponry, which was totally true, but still risky. Everything was risky when dealing with the gangs of the south side.

 

“Of course I remember,” Lip bit back. “I just also happen to remember that the whole fucking thing wouldn’t have happened if Mickey hadn’t gotten that whore pregnant.”

 

“I didn’t want to,” Mickey said quietly, causing everyone to turn and look at where he and Ian were now standing at the top of the stairs. Ian looked ready to fucking  _ murder  _ Lip -- which was sort of normal by now, but there was something about the look in his eyes that told Carl this was different.

 

“The fuck you didn’t,” Lip spit back, lip curling in disgust. 

 

“I really di-”

 

Ian turned to Mickey and whispered, “It’s okay, baby, you don’t have ‘ta talk about it,” before turning to glare at Lip, fists clenched. “And  _ you _ ,” he said, hatred fucking  _ dripping  _ from his voice, “You can step the  _ fuck _ down, Lip.”

 

“Why the  _ hell  _ do you always stick up for him?” Lip screamed, waving his hands angrily. “He  _ cheated  _ on you! He  _ abused  _ you! He-”

 

Luke was tense next to him, Carl's hand in his the only thing grounding him. Mickey looked the closest to crying that Carl's seen in a long time, and he fucking hated it. He took his phone out of his pocket inconspicuously and typed a message. 

 

**To: Svet**

**From: Carl**

 

_ U need to come here and tell Lip what happened with u and Mickey  _

 

The response was almost instantaneous. 

 

**From: Svet**

**To: Carl**

 

_ Why _

 

Carl sighed. This night was definitely going to end the same way as Ian and Mickey's meet-and-greet shit show. 

 

**To: Svet**

**From: Carl**

 

_ Lip is giving Mickey shit abt it. He thinks he cheated on Ian w/ u. Mick looks like he's gonna cry.  _

 

**From: Svet**

**To: Carl**

 

_ Be there in minute _

 

Carl closed his eyes and took a deep breath through his nose as he put his phone back in his pocket. He leaned into Luke’s ear and whispered, “I called Svet. She’s comin’ over.”

 

Luke raised an eyebrow before chuckling. “She gonna rip Lip apart?”

 

Carl looked up at him and smiled. “Hell yeah.” And she fuckin’  _ was,  _ because no matter how much she said she hated Mickey they all knew she didn't. She was actually pretty damn protective of him.

 

When Svetlana stalked through their front door two minutes later everyone to stop arguing. Again. 

 

“Hey, Svet,” Luke called out while waving his hand a little, causing her to nod in response. Carl had always thought that their friendship was a bit weird, what with their initial hatred for each other and all.

 

At Luke's words, Veronica and Kev turned around and waved to Svet, too. 

 

Lip blinked. “Is  _ everyone  _ friends with Svetlana?” Then he blinked again. “Wait. What the hell is she even doing  _ here _ ?”

 

“You hurt piece of shit husband,” she responded tersely, fondness gracing her features when she glanced at Mickey.

 

“Piece of shit is right,” Lip mumbled as he rolled his eyes before announcing louder, “He cheated on Ian with  _ you _ .”

 

Her eyes hardened. “He didn't want to,” she said through her clenched jaw. 

 

“Why the hell-”

 

“ _ Alright _ ,” Fiona screamed, making Carl jump a little. “I'm  _ done  _ with this. We’re gonna fuckin’ listen to the other side of this damn story, okay?”

 

And fuck his life, honestly. Carl knew he texted Svetlana to come down here, but the gravity of the shit that was about to happen just hit him. Everyone was finally going to know what happened, and if Carl was honest, it had probably been one of the best kept secrets in all of the south side. Only Svetlana, Mickey, Ian, Luke, and Carl even knew about it, and it had been that way for almost 4 years. 

 

“Are you sure, Mick?” Luke asked, nervousness etching his features. 

 

Mickey shrugged impassively, but the fear on his face showed how nervous he was. He shut his eyes when Ian tucked him into his body. Carl held his breath. 

 

Svetlana exhaled. “He was raped.”

 

The room fucking  _ exploded.  _ “By  _ you _ ?” Fiona asked, her expression more confused than angry. 

 

“No,” Luke snapped, his hold on Carl tightening a little. 

 

“This is complete shit,” Lip screamed. “Is anyone buying this?”

 

“ _ Neither _ of them wanted it,” Ian growled. “I should know. I was  _ there _ .” 

 

“How could neither of them have wanted it?” Lip growled before turning to Mickey. “I thought you’d have a better explanation than this pile of bullshit.”

 

“Terry,” Svetlana started, causing the argument to simmer down a little. “He call for me, made me fuck him. Made Orange Boy watch.”

 

He heard Fiona gasp. “Are you serious?”

 

Svetlana raised an eyebrow. “Would I lie?”

 

Debbie looked up from her place on the floor, her face almost as red as her hair. She looked like she’d been holding back her anger forever. “There really is a lot you guys don’t know about the Milkoviches.”

 

“Or the Agnes family,” Svet chimed in, nodding at Luke. Lip started, almost as if he’d forgotten Luke was there. Carl wouldn’t be surprised; this night wasn’t about him and Luke anymore, it was about Mickey. And Carl couldn’t be happier. Ian and Mickey’d needed closure on this.

 

Carl glanced at them and saw a tear running down Mickey’s cheek. He felt his throat tighten. When he looked at Ian he saw him looking right back at Carl, a question in his eyes. He wanted to know if he could take Mickey away. Carl nodded, and they both snuck back upstairs.

 

He turned back to see everyone else in different states of shock, trying to digest that information. Luke cleared his throat, making everyone look up. “I think it’d be best if I came back another time,” he said as he stood up. “But it was wonderful to meet you.”

  
He held out his hand to Carl, a smirk on his lips that was almost real. Carl took it.

**Author's Note:**

> Warnings: Discussion of Mickey's rape in 3x06.
> 
> I cry a lot about miscellaneous fictional characters [here](http://redbarricade.tumblr.com/), so feel free to follow me or send me prompts. Subscribe or comment/kudos! It would mean a lot!!
> 
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